Gophers - Scott

crm2431(7 -Tahlequah)August 14, 2012

Hi Everyone

Scott, you suggested way while back a certain gopher trap with a high success rate, but I can't remember what brand it was or the web address. Can you please tell me? And yes it is gophers that I have.

The trap I like is a wooden box trap. I just checked mine and all the labeling on them is worn off, so I can't say for sure the name, but I think it was "gopher getter" or similar.

This trap is wooden with a little hole in the end and a piece of metal that the gopher pushes causing it to snap. I have about a 50-60% success rate on the first attempt with new gophers, which is about double the success rate I had with the small all-metal ones that are inserted in holes.

They are made in Henryetta, Oklahoma, and are sold at farm stores and sometimes at places like Atwoods and Sutherlands. Lately Atwoods has stocked some cheaply made copies from China.

Good luck. Let me know if you find one and need suggestions setting it.

I think, from past discussions, that the manufacturer that Scott is thinking of that makes the cedar gopher gitter or gopher getter traps was P-W Manufacturing in Henryetta. I don't think we've ever found a website where they are sold, but if you google and can find their address or phone number, maybe you can e-mail them or call them.

There are some similar wooden traps at Amazon but I don't know if they work the same way as the ones that Scott remembers.

I have the Oklahoma trap listed above and like it. I have also checked out some imports. I think one of the important things to do when you buy a trap is to check out the trigger mechanism. If there is a burr on the wire ends, file it off and adjust it to have a smooth release.
Also, if you dont catch a gopher in a couple of days chances are the wood box has been packed with dirt. If the trigger has a smooth easy release it improves your chances of catching the gopher as it is trying block the hole. I try to block all light except what is coming in through the round hole in the end of the box.

My experience is the same as Larry's. If you don't catch one after one night, you might remove the trap and see if it got filled with dirt without releasing. This happens regularly with me, as does the trap triggering without catching the gopher. If the mounds of dirt are recent, usually the gopher will try to fill in the exposure within a few hours.

Charlie, our Coweta Farmers Coop sold them for a while, and they have a branch somewhere in Tahlequah. You might try there.

I've only had 4 gophers out of 200 killed that I could never catch with these traps and thus had to resort to more extreme measures. I found the following contact info for the traps: